Driving Smart Save Lives

Em Bobryk-Ozaki

DMV Scholarship

11/30/20

Driving Smart Saves Lives

When I was in first grade, my uncle died in a car accident. A car hit him really hard and caused him to swerve directly into a tree. He went straight into the front window because he wasn’t wearing his seatbelt, got stuck in it, and bled out. Not only was the person who hit my uncle driving irresponsibly (presumed drunk driving or breaking of a road law but I never got the exact details) but so was he by choosing to not wear his seatbelt. It was devastating for my family; my aunt and cousins ended up in a really bad financial situation after losing him. Deaths caused by such preventable scenarios can be detrimental to the mental, financial, and physical health of the loved ones. This is why choices that are made that can prevent these incidents are so imperative.

Drivers education presents the foundations needed for someone to understand and follow the rules of the road. When someone can do that, the likelihood of possible bad decision making or accidents naturally decreases. Properly studying, reviewing, and practicing material for drivers education allows a person to piece together smaller units of rules into a bigger picture when multiple rules must be applied at once. It can make it easier and more manageable to combine these rules and limit the number of accidents and therefore, deaths. I am aware that not every state has great drivers education and driving requirement measures so that may be an opportunity for improvement on a state-by-state or local basis.

Unfortunately, individual decisions cannot be constantly monitored and dictated as much as many would like to be able to do so because we happen to have free will (at least generally speaking because this isn’t a philosophy essay). My uncle knew he should have been wearing his seatbelt but he made the decision not to do so and it had costly consequences. We have laws against drunk and high driving yet people still choose to break those laws and that results in many, what could have been avoidable, accidents. Whether people choose to pay attention to their driver’s education courses or not is also not a decision we can consistently observe and enforce. We also can’t determine and cater standard drivers education courses to every individual so those who need unconventional learning materials are stuck between a rock and a hard place. These people can test their knowledge on a one-time permit test but we cannot guarantee that the information stays in their heads for the long run. All we can do is hope that people do their best and follow the laws to prevent as many driving-related deaths as possible and punish appropriately and justly for offenses to that (not overly punish or discourage them from ever driving again). 

People can become better and safer drivers by taking the precautions and correct decisions necessary to prevent accidents as much as possible. Simple things like not driving drunk, tired, or high, knowing the rules of the road, wearing your seatbelt, and setting up your mirrors properly will significantly reduce the likelihood of terrible circumstances and consequences. Everyone can help by designating people to drive responsibly whenever engaging in activities that could end up with people drunk, high or tired — non-drinkers, non-smokers, and people who can come pick you up who aren’t tired whether it be family, friends, or a safe driving service. We can also work to make drivers education as effective as possible for all potential and existing drivers by working on the material properly when in the course, reminding people of the material so they don’t forget road rules, and providing resources for those who have trouble learning in a standardized way. Part of me will always wish that somebody could have told my uncle to wear his seatbelt before starting to drive and that the person who caused it wasn’t driving at all.